Today, Tesla is expected to unveil a next-generation Megapack in the margins of RE+, the largest clean energy event in North America.
It comes as competition intensifies and Tesla’s own battery suppliers for the Megapack are launching competing products.
Tesla has been a leader in using large Li-ion batteries for stationary energy storage.
It began in 2015 with the Powerwall and Powerpack, but today, most of Tesla’s energy storage capacity is deployed through the Megapack, a container-sized battery system that can be deployed in series to provide utility-scale energy storage.
Tonight, Tesla is expected to unveil a new generation of the Megapack during an event in the margins of RE+ in Las Vegas at around 8 PM PT (11 PM ET):
Not much is known about the keynote, except that it will be about the Megapack.
Tesla states that the event will be held in Las Vegas, where RE+, the largest clean energy event in North America, is currently taking place.
Several solar power and energy storage companies are announcing new products at the event.
CATL is also at the event and plans to showcase “advanced energy storage solutions” later this week.
Last year, the Chinese battery giant unveiled its own Megapack competitor, CATL Tener, with 60% more energy capacity than Tesla’s.
This is a problem for Tesla since CATL is one of its leading suppliers of battery cells for electric vehicles and stationary storage.
Therefore, Tesla’s Megapack is now competing with the supplier of its own main part: battery cells.
However, there’s one aspect where Tesla still holds an advantage: power electronics. While CATL has a massive lead in energy storage, Tesla has the expertise in power capacity and has integrated its own commercial inverter in the Megapack.
It’s unclear what the next generation will bring, but CEO Elon Musk has previously discussed integrating transformers into the product, which could significantly reduce the need for separate substations at large energy storage projects and lower installation costs.
Electrek’s Take
I’d expect incremental improvements in power and energy capacity, mostly due to using new and improved battery cells from suppliers.
Tesla also recently released a paper on the importance of grid-forming. Therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised if the next-gen Megapack is optimized for that.
This is all good news. However, I fear for Tesla that its energy storage business is going in the same direction as its EV business.
With its EV business, Tesla is only doing well in the US, while it is being squeezed in Europe and China due to competition moving at a faster pace. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the same thing happen here as CATL has already managed to steal a few large-scale battery contracts away from Tesla.
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